I've been trying to get a handle on this trap disarming proficiency but nothing seems all that clear, specifically the probability that a thief can disarm a trap revealed vs. the Find Traps spell.
First off, does anyone really use this spell at all? It seems worthless to me since a thief must be part of the party to disarm it anyway. The thief would likely be able to spot the trap using their ability ability rating so the benefit of wasting a spell slot to do what the thief can do anyway seems... ummm... pretty idiotic to me.
If there is NO party thief, what possible good could spotting traps provide other than perhaps suggesting that an alternate route (if available) might prove a better option. The main failing that I see is that Find Traps does not identify the type of trap which WOULD be a useful bit of information to have (though I do recognize that a thief cannot identify trap types with their ability either). It would easier to plow through a trap field if their effects could be predicted and equipment and/or buffs adjusted accordingly. Anyway, I've yet to find the spell useful in any run-through I've done so would be interested in reading if others have found a use for it and under what circumstances. Even without a thief, summons or charmed can be forced into trap fields to trigger them but it's not really needed to see the traps if you use summons/charmed for recon in standard practice.
The second part of this question is equally baffling for me. If a caster does indeed cast the spell and the trap(s) become(s) visible, what Find/Disarm Traps ability level is needed to disarm those traps revealed in this manner? I am assuming that any trap that is "naturally" revealed using the thief's Find/Disarm Traps button can be disarmed, but this is just from personal experience, not thoroughly tested under diverse conditions. Suppose a thief only has the slight amount set to traps at creation plus perhaps a bit more from the DEX? Does that mean all traps revealed by Find Traps spell can still be disarmed anyway? This is very confusing for me and am hoping someone here has experience dealing with how the spell & thief ability interact.
Thank you for your time to read and consider this.
BoGs
P.S. I recognize the fact that in other AD&D versions the Find Traps spell also disarms them, but for BG that is not the case.
First off, does anyone really use this spell at all? It seems worthless to me since a thief must be part of the party to disarm it anyway. The thief would likely be able to spot the trap using their ability ability rating so the benefit of wasting a spell slot to do what the thief can do anyway seems... ummm... pretty idiotic to me.
If there is NO party thief, what possible good could spotting traps provide other than perhaps suggesting that an alternate route (if available) might prove a better option. The main failing that I see is that Find Traps does not identify the type of trap which WOULD be a useful bit of information to have (though I do recognize that a thief cannot identify trap types with their ability either). It would easier to plow through a trap field if their effects could be predicted and equipment and/or buffs adjusted accordingly. Anyway, I've yet to find the spell useful in any run-through I've done so would be interested in reading if others have found a use for it and under what circumstances. Even without a thief, summons or charmed can be forced into trap fields to trigger them but it's not really needed to see the traps if you use summons/charmed for recon in standard practice.
The second part of this question is equally baffling for me. If a caster does indeed cast the spell and the trap(s) become(s) visible, what Find/Disarm Traps ability level is needed to disarm those traps revealed in this manner? I am assuming that any trap that is "naturally" revealed using the thief's Find/Disarm Traps button can be disarmed, but this is just from personal experience, not thoroughly tested under diverse conditions. Suppose a thief only has the slight amount set to traps at creation plus perhaps a bit more from the DEX? Does that mean all traps revealed by Find Traps spell can still be disarmed anyway? This is very confusing for me and am hoping someone here has experience dealing with how the spell & thief ability interact.
Thank you for your time to read and consider this.
BoGs
P.S. I recognize the fact that in other AD&D versions the Find Traps spell also disarms them, but for BG that is not the case.